Project Unicorn

A man on the street interview is exactly what it sounds like. The reporter approaches someone on the street at random and asks them a question. ManOnTheStreet.TV which is available to watch on Unicorn Media is based on this premise, and as you can imagine, produces some very funny results.

The episode that I watched posed the question: If you could save only one person from a car accident, which would it be, the Nobel Prize-Winning scientist, or the famous young singer?

My favorite response came from a young woman with short green hair and buckteeth who said: “The singer, ‘cause, you know, music is important and who cares about Nobel Peace Prizes?”

Another interviewee responded to the question by saying: “The world is uh, I think they have enough singers, a Nobel Peace prize sounds like something that’s you know, that’s like important or whatever.”

It really is entertaining, and disturbing to find out what the average person on the street thinks about certain topics, especially when a life is potentially at stake. To see more for yourself, go to www.unicornmedia.com and www.manonthestreet.tv

Meredith Treinen Musings manonthestreettv, Unicorn Media

If you are a musician, you have probably wondered about whether or not you should copyright your work, and what it means to do so. Owning exclusive rights to your work is known as a copyright. Once a copyright is established, it protects your composition for many years, even if you never register your copyright with the copyright office.

Essentially, when your music and/or lyrics are under copyright protection the following holds true unless you give express written permission:

• No one can reproduce your music or lyrics
• No one can perform your music or lyrics in public
• No one can make a derivative work or arrangement for public use in any form
• No one can distribute your music or lyrics for free, for no profit, or for profit

While many artists copyright their work, in order to legally enforce a copyright, the copyright must be registered with the copyright office. However, if it is not registered, it can still be considered valid if the artist can show definitive proof that they are the author of the work in question. Copyrights eventually expire, and can be renounced as well, and all compositions not protected under a copyright are under what is known as Public Domain, which means, essentially, that it has no owner and that anyone can use it.

So what does all of this mean for you, the independent artist? Two important things:

• You should copyright and register the copyright for all of the music and lyrics that you compose if you intend to commercially produce them. If there is more than one author/composer, their name(s) can be included in the copyright as well.

• You should be very careful when using or sampling the music or lyrics of other artists without express written permission. Don’t just assume that something is in the public domain without checking first.

If you are serious about your musical career, you owe it to yourself to familiarize yourself with copyright laws. Here are some links to get you started:

U.S. www.copyright.gov

U.K. http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law

Meredith Treinen Musings copyright music, music copyright laws

Plain and simple: If you are a gamer, and you enjoy learning about the history behind them, then you will like this show. The histories of SEGA, Nintendo, and other gaming systems as well as the games that define them are all detailed in this series. Episode Seven chronicles the rise and fall of SEGA and its ongoing rival with Nintendo in detail, while episode five explores the history of arcade gaming in the 1980s, including PacMan, Donkey Kong, and others.

These shows are very in-depth and are a nice trip down memory lane for anyone who ever played a video game. As someone who has definitely played my share of games, I especially liked Episode Three , which featured some of my old favorites, including Double Dragon, Super Metroid, and an in-depth look at my all- time favorite (I’ll admit it) Castelvania II: Simon’s Quest: the first RPG I ever played, three different endings, puzzles, great music, the dark gothic themes. . . Oh, those carefree days I spent playing video games. . . . but I digress.

Anyway, whatever your favorite games may have been, you’re sure to find out more about them then you ever though possible when you watch Retroware TV. What are you waiting for? Dust off your controller and watch Retroware on www.unicornmedia.com

Meredith Treinen Musings classic video games, retroware, video game shows

It is important for any artist or band to define their musical genre. Why. Not only will this help you to refine your sound, and answer that most-heard question: what kind of music do you play, but it will also help your future publicist to describe and market your music to other people.

Of course, for a few years now, the trend has been to mix genres in attempts to create a unique sound, so you may be thinking: “My music isn’t defined by any genre.” Even so, your music does and should have certain characteristics that make it more similar to one genre than to another. Most, but not all music, can be categorized or at the very least shares characteristics with one or more of the most popular genres, which are:

• Rock
• Dance
• Metal New Age
• Alternative
• Indie
• Soundtrack
• Reggae
• Jazz
• Hip/Hop/Rap
• Country

For example, Rock has many subgenres, from classic rock to adult rock, arena rock, progressive rock, British Folk Rock, etc. Country music can be classified as Country Folk, Country Pop, Fusegrass, Outlaw Country, Progressive Country, Traditional Country, Western Swing, etc. The rest of the main genres, as you can probably imagine, have their own sub genre breakdowns.

Which brings us to the question of the day: How do you define your musical genre? Well, your music is more than likely defined by the artists that have influenced you the most. Don’t think that this makes your sound any less unique—in fact, if you can think of the bands and musicians who have influenced you the most and are able to define (or at least loosely define) their genre, people will have a good idea of what to expect from you and from your band when it comes to music that you make.

Meredith Treinen Musings musical genres, unsigned band tips

As I’ve said before, there is no shortage of great comedy on Unicorn Media, and this week I’ve been watching The People’s Improv Theater. These comedy shorts are well-acted and hysterical. My favorite is My Wife, The Russian Mail Order Bride, in which a loser orders a Russian mail order bride who arrives packed in a box.

The loser and his friends are enthused about the whole thing but the loser’s mother is not amused, and when she first meets “Anastasia” she tell her son that he had better return her and when he protests, she insists, saying “You can return anything with a receipt.” That is, of course, until Anastasia decides to take matters into her own hands and eats the receipt.

Other must watch PIT shorts:

Slap In The Facebook is about two old ladies who are very technologically savvy, so much so that one discovers that the other is in a Facebook relationship with her boyfriend.

Voice Femail: A man is leaving a message for his girlfriend, telling her he wants to be “exclusive” and when he gets to the message prompt menu, he gets an unexpected response—and ends up leaving a message for his girlfriend that he didn’t exactly intend either.

Nine Months Early: A family driving test outing takes a strange turn when a labor and delivery coach shows up—to coach a non-pregnant mom through labor. When the hysterical woman begs her husband to do something, he responds from the front seat with “But, honey, I’m already buckled in.”

Be sure to check out these and other PIT shorts at www.unicornmedia.com and www.thepit-nyc.com

Meredith Treinen Musings Comedy, peoples improv theater, Unicorn Media

I found the Venice Walk a few months ago while browsing new content on UnicornMedia.com, and was impressed by what surprised me, given the show's premise: its originality. The Venice Walk is the story of several teenagers and their probation officer, Paco, who, in the opening minutes of the first websiode, uses some unconventional means to get their attention. Each of the teenagers, from the sweet-faced credit card thief to the drug-dealing scam artist, has their own story to tell.

So what makes the show original? For one thing, in true webisode format, the episodes are short and to the point, meaning no long, drawn out, angst-ridden closeups of the faces of troubled teenagers. Of course, their confessions to Paco are interspersed with footage of them up to their old tricks in Venice Beach, so viewers know that these kids have a long road ahead of them in order to make a change, provided that they really want to.

Find out more by visiting www.unicornmedia.com and www.thevenicewalk.com

Meredith Treinen Musings

Is it time to take that next step and hire an agent or a publicist for your band? The two terms are often used interchangeably, because the duties of an agent and a publicist are very similar and often overlap. The difference, of course, is that an agent handles your bookings and is more focused on the business side, while a publicist is focused on promoting your band and making contact with various media outlets in order to make that happen. But agents do serve as publicists and vice versa, and in some circles, the two are synonyms. that being said, lets take a look at some of the duties of an agent and those of a publicist.

An independent publicist is usually hired after success has been had with a booking agent. This is because publicists are typically used to working with bigger budgets, and with clients who already have some sort of established fan base.

Publicists:

• Create new promotional strategies to increase both client visibility and market value

• Create and update press kits and media kits

• Make contact with various media outlets to facilitate client promotion

• Represent their clients to the media, ie in interviews, TV appearances, etc.

• Are responsible for maintaining a positive public image for their clients.

   

An independent agent is responsible for using his or her contacts to secure bookings for clients. Agents may also represent clients, much in the same way that a publicist would, particularly if the client is an independent band that is just starting to make a name for itself. Unlike publicists, agents do not typically have much interaction with the media, and instead work behind the scenes to promote a client, maintain their image, and of course, obtain work for them.

If you feel that you are ready for an agent or publicist, ask around for referrals and recommendations and when you meet with potential candidates, ask them about the clients that they have represented in the past and what they feel their qualifications are. Remember, even if you are not ready for an agent or a publicist today, there is a good chance that you will be in very near future, so do your research and compile a list of potential agents and publicists now—it will save you time once your band's career truly takes off.

Meredith Treinen Musings choosing an agent, indpendent band promotion tips